After a day of recipe creation, testing and prepping then finally getting my kitchen cleaned up – in walks my father with several pounds of fresh strawberries from our strawberry patch. They were super ripe… and I needed to do something quick. Warm temperatures…. hmmmm let’s make some coconut milk ice cream. My daughter is gluten and dairy free so I’m constantly making her banana ice cream found here, here and here. But I’ve wanted to make some coconut milk ice cream for her that would be a bit of a departure. End result… she loved it![Read more…]

I’ve been making almond milk for about a year now. I’ve recently been branching out and making some nut combo milks and they are so good. I will be posting recipes on that in the future. But one, easy peasy great starter milk is this… cashew milk! It’s heavenly. Why do I think it’s the best starter milk – because it whips up in your high powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and there is no pulp removal etc. involved. You can whip this up in a matter of minutes. You just need to soak the raw cashews. That’s key! Totally vegan. Protein packed. A hint of sweetness that makes it undeniably addictive. Kids and adults will love. Promise!

Okay the dog days of summer are here and that calls for ice cream, right? Of course!

My clean eating journey continues but that doesn’t mean I can’t have ice cream (or at least a healthier version of it). PLUS no ice cream maker required! I love that this creamy “ice cream” hits the sweet spot plus bananas are filled with fiber and potassium, cherries are a natural anti-inflammatory fruit (we can all use that) and the creaminess… oh you had me at the first spoonful. Great treat for the kids too! Also a perfect way (without making banana bread) to use up ripe bananas. Go grab your bananas and get them into your freezer~ you’ll be so happy you did!

Clean eating and knowing what you are giving your children and family to eat is so important. Most of the frozen treats in the grocery stores are filled with preservatives and funky ingredients that I prefer not to serve my family. Last week I finally bought a Zoku popsicle maker. An investment but you can certainly use regular popsicle molds if you have those on hand (they just require freezing time). Plus, kids of all ages love making their own versions of their treats. This is my daughter’s 3rd or 4th popsicle that she’s made.

I caved! I admit it. Every single time I’ve been in Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table I have eyed the Zoku pop maker. I hate gadgets but this one, I truly believe, I would use… really! I’m so hyper focused on eating clean and feeding my family better foods, less processed without ingredients I can’t pronounce this fit the bill. I really don’t like store-bought ice creams or treats and prefer my family eat better. So this weekend I had a coupon for Williams Sonoma and I opted to purchase a triple Zoku maker. My youngest has taken over, like a mad scientist, working her magic with different combinations. She has had a blast with it and of course, healthier ingredients that she can pronounce! That being the point. This was her first batch. I love her creativity and excitement in the kitchen!

These are the easiest and one of the healthiest ways of enjoying one of summer’s most treasured treats… ice cream! BUT, these are healthier, dairy-free, and packed with so much protein! Three ingredients. Takes only about 2 minutes to make – the worst part is waiting for them to freeze!

Typically a beverage, I turned this pineapple mint lassi into a popsicle. A refreshing treat indeed! The fresh sweetness of the pineapple and the zing of fresh mint from my garden make these a treat both kids and adults will love. I also added chunks of fresh pineapple to my popsicle molds for even more tasty goodness. These cool treats boast protein, thanks to the Greek yogurt, so they also have muscle building benefits along with great vitamin impact. Your kids won’t even know this is good for them!

Okay, I had to do it. I took the leftover smoothies I had from yesterday and froze them with tons of fresh strawberry slices inside for the extra bonus. The kids are gobbling them up and they are packed with vitamins and protein! Love that! These are super easy to do and you can find pop molds just about anywhere really inexpensively! Great for parties too! Last day of school and I really think I would be happy eating watermelon for dinner all summer long. But I guess I better head off and figure that out because my family wouldn’t share my watermelon dinner passion. The weather is lovely -so grilling it is!

The holiday weekend is upon us and that means one thing – SUMMER is here! Now regrettably, our weather in PA will not be reflective of this season change but it’s all good. I know, as I sit here typing with the a/c on, the heat will arrive again and sweating will commence. I’m not a fan of grocery store frozen treats. I like to know what I’m eating and be able to readily pronounce all of the ingredients in my food. Let’s face it, you’ve been given one body – treat it right! This is my first batch for the unofficial start of summer and I’m so excited to dig in (as well as for my kids and husband). You can totally customize these and use what fresh fruit you have on hand. Just follow the amounts and you should be good to go! Sadly, you need patience until they freeze – the only downside! Totally vegan![Read more…]